How to Make a Home Safer for Seniors

As many seniors begin to retire, it’s time to consider what will happen should they need extra care or support. 

Many people find this a difficult topic to think about. For adult children of senior parents, it’s often not a discussion they feel comfortable broaching with their parents or one they find their parents are resistant to. But discussing wishes is an important step to help make those wishes a reality.

However, the unexpected can happen, and seniors don’t always get to make a choice about where they go, but if they intend to age in place, or if there are plans for adult children and senior parents to live together, there are some adjustments that must be made.

Many seniors have mobility issues or disabilities that make it difficult or impossible to get around their homes. But with some adjustments, they can safely stay in their homes for much longer.

Here, we list some of the top home renovations and adjustments that can be made to a house to make life safer for seniors.

Having a Stair Chair for Evacuations

The importance of having a home evacuation plan is often touted, but too often, they don’t include mention of preparations to make for people with limited mobility. But emergencies like storms and house fires do happen, and not having a plan can lead to frantic evacuations, which often leads to rushing, which can often result in falls or other injuries for seniors. 

Having a plan in place and the proper tools are crucial to avoiding the above scenario. To help make a home evacuation safer, consider getting stair chairs for seniors. These evacuation chairs provide a safe, effective and quick way to help seniors or anyone else with limited mobility evacuate the house.

Adding Safety Bars in the Bathroom 

It’s often said that the majority of accidents happen in the home, and many of those happen in the bathroom. There are many opportunities for slips and falls in the bathroom, so finding ways to eliminate those opportunities is a priority. Safety bars are an effective way to do this and can be installed beside the bathtub, shower and toilet for added support and stability. Anti-slip mats both inside the shower or bathtub and outside of it are also immensely effective.

Adding Extra Railings to Stairs

While it’s important to have a stair chair to facilitate quick and safe evacuations, staircases pose risks for slips and falls during daily activities as well. Ideally, seniors should have bedroom and bathroom access on the ground level to reduce the number of trips up and down the stairs that need to be made, but that’s not always a possibility. 

The addition of railings along every staircase, ideally on each side, makes maneuvering stairs much safer. Combine these railings with the addition of treads on the stairs, as this safety feature can help to reduce slipping feet.

Senior safety is incredibly important but not often discussed. Take the time to have the conversation and install these tips to make your or your parents’ home much safer.